The present invention relates to electronic commerce, and more particularly, to techniques for providing a merchant with detailed information relating to a particular consumer, while conducting a transaction with the consumer.
When a consumer shops for products and/or services “online” (e.g., by viewing websites via the Internet) using a computer-based website browser, the consumer often spends a significant amount of time navigating through the merchant's website before actually purchasing anything. Sometimes a consumer enters a website without a clear idea of what he or she is looking for, and explores or “surfs” until they stumble upon something that interests them enough to buy. Even if the consumer begins an online search knowing exactly what they want or need to purchase, the consumer may still spend a significant amount of time on a website—for example, gathering information about the product or service, comparing similar items, or reviewing accessories or other related products.
During the online shopping session, a consumer may come to a point at which he or she desires detailed information about a particular product, service or other aspect of the merchant's website. If a customer service telephone number (e.g., a “help line”) is available on the website, the consumer may call the number to ask some pointed, focused questions.
The phone number typically connects the consumer to a call distribution system, which routes the consumer to an available sales agent. When the agent receives the consumer's call, it is extremely useful for the agent to have access to certain information about the consumer. For example, if the agent knows and understands the caller's interests, the agent can use those interests to make helpful and useful recommendations to the consumer.
One way for the agent to know the caller's interests is to examine the caller's recent web browsing history. For example, if the agent knows exactly what the consumer was viewing on the website immediately preceding the phone call, the agent can often deduce the target of the consumer's search, and can provide relevant suggestions accordingly.
If the agent is cognizant of the consumer's past shopping habits and past purchases, the agent can also use that information to tailor the rest of the conversation so as to increase the likelihood of convincing the consumer to actually buy something. For example, if the past shopping habits and post purchases indicate that the consumer is a relatively hard sell, the agent may wish to be careful and less aggressive.
In some existing systems, an agent can use the caller identification (caller ID) information associated with the incoming call to ascertain who is calling. The agent can then search his company's database systems with respect to the name extracted from caller ID, to determine if any information associated with the name exists. If it does, the agent can use the information to advance the transaction towards a close.
There are several drawbacks to using caller ID for this purpose. For example, the caller ID information may not actually identify the caller. For instance, if the consumer calls from his or her workplace, the caller ID will typically identify the consumer's employer instead of the consumer. Or, if the consumer is calling from a cellular telephone, the caller ID will provide a telephone number, but will not typically provide information about the identity of the caller.
In some instances, the agent can simply ask the consumer for some identifying information. However, many consumers are hesitant to provide information unless the consumer is highly interested in completing the transaction or receiving some customer service from the merchant. Further, the solicited information will not provide any insight as to the consumers browsing activities on the website, unless the identifying information is related to a transaction that has already taken place (e.g., a confirmation number or order number).